Escape
by Mikauzoran
Summary: Shinichi and Kaito each try to put their shattered lives back together in the Organization aftermath, but, on their own, they flounder. Silence and loneliness reign. Only by leaning on one another can they regain balance. Pre-KaiShin.


Mikau: Hey guys. This is just a little pre-KaiShin/friendship piece that I did for Poirot Café's Super Short Contest 8: Silence, voting now through Saturday February thirteenth. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, the characters would have more heart to heart chats.

…

Escape

"Is it worse now…after Conan?"

Kid's voice broke a three-day-long silence, causing Shinichi to jump.

Shinichi's head hit the desk lamp, and he hissed in pain as he turned to glare at the ex-thief sitting on the windowsill like a stray cat, swinging his leg back and forth.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

The phantom shrugged, hugging his knee to his chest and making himself comfortable, lounging in the window frame. "It's been about a month since…you know, everything…ended and you became _you_ again…. Two weeks since your folks took off, so…I wanted to see how you were doing."

Shinichi sighed, rubbing his head as he swiveled the chair to face his sometimes rival, sometimes friend. "Well, you didn't have to come dressed like that. What if someone saw you?"

"No one saw me," Kaito assured. "And the people I didn't want to found out are either dead, in jail, or already know, so… Besides, you don't know Kuroba Kaito. It would be weird if I just came and rang the doorbell out of the blue."

Shinichi cringed. Snake and his ilk were dead, and the rest of the Black Organization was scattered or captured, so that left Nakamori Aoko as the person that "already knew".

Shinichi put that thought aside and instead replied, "If Kuroba Kaito is anything like the Kid I know, just coming up and ringing the doorbell wouldn't be out of character…but maybe…we could arrange to run into each other at a café or an ice cream shop or something so you don't have to go to all this trouble to check in on me."

"That would be good," Kaito hummed. "…So…how are things?"

"Oh. Good. Good." He bit his lip. "Things are…quiet. I'm not used to living in such a big house by myself anymore."

Kaito nodded. "Is it worse after being Conan and living with the Mouris as compared to when your parents first left you in Tokyo?"

Shinichi turned back to the files on his desk, hoping he looked natural…and not like he was attempting to avoid the subject of the past two years of his life spent as Conan…with a family.

"Because, for me, it's worse now that I told Aoko everything. She kind of understands, but she still can't completely forgive me," Kaito mumbled, a desolate smile clinging to his lips. "I used to go over and eat dinner with the Nakamoris, like we were family, but now…" Kaito winced. "She's…not exactly cold, but…I get the feeling I'm not welcome anymore, and… It's kind of lonely in my big, empty house. It's always been quiet since Dad…but at least I used to be able to go over to Aoko's and escape. Now…" Kaito trailed off, pretending to get caught up in the beauty of the full moon while still keeping one eye on Shinichi.

Shinichi's eyes widened as he realized that Kid hadn't dropped by to check on him on a whim. Kid had come because he himself was lonely and lost and yearning for someone to break the nauseating silence ringing in his ears.

"It _is_ worse," Shinichi finally admitted with a sigh as he rose and went to Kaito's side. He put one hand to the wall next to the window and leaned so that he almost loomed over Kid. "At first, it was my choice to stay to be with Ran. My parents didn't exactly run out on me like your mother did. But now that Ran knows the truth and wants to take some time apart to think about things…now that I've been a part of the Mouri family for two years…I can't stand how quiet this huge mansion is. I don't want to be here all by myself anymore."

Kaito nodded, and the boys fell into a contemplative silence as they stared at the cold, December moon.

Some minutes passed before Shinichi was struck by a wild idea. "I don't know how attached you are to your parents' house, but…if you like, you could always come live here."

Kaito whipped around and stared at Shinichi incredulously. "Huh?"

Shinichi backpedaled, arms flailing. "I mean! I was just thinking that we're both in the same boat—alone in our empty houses and separated from our surrogate families because of recent developments, so… But even if you don't want to move in, I want you to know that it's okay to come here, maybe spend the weekend sometimes."

Kaito broke out into a grin and chuckled as a healthy glow lit up his cheeks. "I know you're pretty messed up over Mouri-chan, Meitantei, but shacking up with me as a rebound probably isn't the best way to—"

"—That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Shinichi squeaked in mortification, his own cheeks blazing as he wished he still had his soccer ball belt. "I was trying to be nice and tell you that I know what you're going through and that it's okay if you want this place to be your new 'escape'. That's all," he huffed, crossing his arms and regretting his kindness…his momentary vulnerability.

"Sorry," Kaito cajoled, swinging his legs around and looking up contritely at his friend. "I'm a natural tease, and you know it, but…I really do think that might be good for the both of us—if you don't get annoyed at my constant yammering and shenanigans. You might find yourself missing the same silence you loath so much now…so why don't we do a test run? I'll drop in and bother you on an increasingly frequent basis until around March of next year when we get ready to go to university. Then we can make a decision about whether or not we want this to be a more permanent arrangement. Sound good?"

"That's reasonable," Shinichi replied with a nod. "But first, we'd better officially meet, don't you think? I don't want everyone thinking I've gone crazy, suddenly moving in with a total stranger."

"So…why don't we run into each other at Poirot in about thirty minutes? I can be your long-lost childhood friend," Kaito suggested. "A touching reunion—people should buy that."

And later on at the café, witnesses to the "touching reunion" really were convinced.

Kaito was a consummate actor, trilling, "Shin-chan?!" in delight as he threw himself at Shinichi, wrapping his arms around the detective's neck in an exuberant embrace.

There was a moment where Shinichi wondered if inviting the crazy magician into his life had been a mistake…before he smiled and replied, "Kai-chan? It's been ages! How are you?!"

The

End

…

Mikau: Good news: I'm starting to come out of my depression and feel like writing again. I've been toying with the idea of working on ALD, BtM, or HP sometime soon. Maybe I should do a poll to see what people would want to see updated first.


End file.
